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Not hyperbole to call 2024 biggest season in Jacksonville Jaguars history | Gene Frenette
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- Not hyperbole to call 2024 biggest season in Jacksonville Jaguars history | Gene Frenette
As the Jacksonville Jaguars exited the field after the Kansas City Chiefs ended their 2022 season with a 27-20 AFC Divisional Playoff victory , Trevor Lawrence stood at an Arrowhead Stadium tunnel entrance to greet every teammate heading for the locker room.
Following a spirited late-season run that propelled Lawrence's team to the playoffs, that was more than a symbolic or thank you gesture from the young quarterback.
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"We had such a great season and had overcome so much to get there," said Lawrence. "It felt like a disservice to not acknowledge what we were able to accomplish."
This was Lawrence delivering a clear, unmistakable message about his intentions for the Jaguars ' future: letting the Jaguars know he believed they were tracking to make a Super Bowl run.
Now is that time. Not in two or three years, and not eventually over Lawrence's presumed decade-long stay or beyond in the 904.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson answers questions from members of the media during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
From the moment the 2024 season kicks off Sept. 8 against another prospective AFC contender, the Miami Dolphins , at Hard Rock Stadium, this franchise's Super Bowl window should be open and remain so for the foreseeable future.
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No more Trevor growing pains. No more wait-and-see offensive line fixes. No more wondering if the defense holds up.
And for the love of Duuu-val, no more obsessing whether head coach Doug Pederson or offensive coordinator Press Taylor is calling plays .
What matters is when you look at how this roster is structured, both in the starting lineup and the depth in most spots, the Jaguars are good enough to be a 10-win team and make the playoffs.
Whether that is enough to reclaim the AFC South division title they never should have lost last season or earns them a wild-card berth, just get in the tournament. Anything less will be an abject failure with possible significant consequences for some high-level football employees.
Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16), seen here during a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, faces a critical season as he continues his quest to prove himself as one of the NFL's elite players at his position.
Shad Khan knows it's winning time
Regardless of past ineptitude or the 2023 collapse, this is a team built to win immediately.
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Given how some recent draft picks have evolved into irreplaceable commodities and the money spent in free agency to plug key holes, there's plenty of reason to think the Jaguars will be a relevant NFL force in the coming years.
But putting the focus on 2024, the unequivocal expectation should be, at minimum, a winning playoff team.
Even 74-year-old owner Shad Khan, rarely one to talk in absolutes when it comes to team assessments, didn't back off about anticipated payoffs for his massive investments, including long-term extensions for Lawrence , pass-rusher Josh Hines-Allen and cornerback Tyson Campbell .
Khan also spent $82.7 million in guaranteed money on a six-pack of free agents — DL Arik Armstead , WR Gabe Davis , C Mitch Morse , S Darnell Savage , CB Ronald Darby and return specialist Devin Duvernay — which represents a significant roster makeover.
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"I think it's a huge upgrade," Khan said in June to the Jacksonville media . "The depth on the D-line and O-line speaks for itself. I think having a veteran presence, that is where it starts in football."
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, seen here watching the team's training camp in July, has made it abundantly clear that he expects the franchise to win now and be in the playoffs.
No NFL owner loading up the Brinks truck for so many quality veteran players should expect anything less than being in the Super Bowl mix, right?
Khan is no longer about being a possible threat to the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens or any other AFC contender. He's all in on beating them, on rectifying the gut punch of going 1-5 at last year's finish line and missing the playoffs.
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"Personally for me, not to be able to win two of the last six games, it still stings," said Khan. "Even though the season is over, it's like, I still can't believe we couldn't do it. So when you talk to the players, you talk to the coaches, it's all been about, 'Why did this happen?' More importantly, what are we doing so that it never happens [again]?
"If this had happened five years ago or 10 years ago, you'd be patting yourself on the back [for consecutive 9-8 seasons]. Now it's like, yes, you want to have a winning season, but I think we want to be in the playoffs every year."
Translation: the Jaguars better not miss the postseason in 2024 or there's no telling who will be employed elsewhere next year.
Pressure ramps up on Trevor
Everybody in the Jaguars' organization from the top on down believes Lawrence is an elite quarterback that can bring a Lombardi trophy to Jacksonville.
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If that wasn't the case, No. 16 would have never been given a record-tying, $275 million contract — one year before the Jaguars were obligated to do it — to match Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow .
The unvarnished truth about Trevor is he has extraordinary arm talent and athleticism, but it has yet to translate into elite production.
Lawrence's game tape, both his exquisite throws into tight windows and a propensity for committing turnovers (NFL-high 60 in his first three seasons), is a clear indicator of a solid-to-good quarterback still trying to maximize his potential.
It's Year 4, by which time most of the NFL's great, promising quarterbacks throughout history have delivered on their advance hype.
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Lawrence has the makeup and desire to live up to his generational label. We just haven't seen it yet from the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick.
If he becomes the great quarterback the Jaguars expect, this year might be Lawrence's best chance to make it happen.
When is he ever going to have a better surrounding cast of skill players — running back Trevor Etienne , receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis and tight end Evan Engram — that are all entering their prime or already in it?
From a leadership standpoint, the 24-year-old Lawrence has already done as much as possible to cultivate relationships for a winning environment.
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Teammates certainly believe Lawrence will have that breakthrough season in 2024 to put his team on a path of consistent winning.
"I don't see why not," said Kirk. "I don't see anything on or off the field that could hold him back from that. I know every time he steps on the field, he wants to be the best.
"Just knowing him and who he is, Trevor doesn't settle for average."
Toward that end, it's time for this franchise to stop being so average or below-average in the won-loss column.
A productive, turnover-limiting year from Lawrence would be a big step toward elevating the Jaguars into becoming a long-term contender.
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Jaguars' defense must step up
Besides having the league's best big-moment quarterback in Patrick Mahomes , a major reason why the Kansas City Chiefs won another Super Bowl despite averaging just 21.8 points per game last year is it had the NFL's second-stingiest defense in both points and yards allowed.
The Jaguars haven't had anything close to that kind of defense in six or seven years. It usually languishes in the league's bottom quarter.
Signing Armstead, Darby and Savage, plus the drafting of interior tackle Maason Smith , should make the Jaguars a smarter and more physical defense.
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But it's the hiring of proven coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who orchestrated significant makeovers with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons , that gives the Jaguars good reason to think this can be a special season.
Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen talks with his players during the fourth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Saturday, July 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars have not only brought in players to fit the 4-2-5 scheme many think Nielsen wants to employ, but hired assistants he's familiar with to make the transition smoother.
Having the NFL's top sack combination from last year in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker , the Jaguars could finally have an impactful defense with a Nielsen-led staff emphasizing an attack-style unit.
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Defensive backs coach Kris Richard, employed by the Seattle Seahawks (2010-17) during that franchise's Legion of Boom heyday, believes the Jaguars will have elements of that legendary defense.
"Yeah, absolutely," said Richard. "I truly believe it's a huge part of the reason why we're here. What I see here was the level of attention to detail, discipline, right? And execution. That's what that [Seahawks] team was most known for.
"Also, mentioning the fact that you get to the ball with bad intentions, and that's what that [Seahawks] unit was most known for. There's a particular style and standard that we've all come to grow and acknowledge and agree upon. It's truly what we want to do and who we want to become [with the Jaguars]."
Will that happen in Jacksonville? Too early to tell, but it's hard to imagine Nielsen's defense won't be a dramatic step up from the maddeningly inconsistent units the Jaguars have put out there in recent years.
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Time to make statement
Looking at the moves GM Trent Baalke has made elsewhere to upgrade the roster, there's every reason to think the Jaguars will be a better football team in 2024.
The question is whether this team comes together quick enough to overtake the Houston Texans , whose national bandwagon is overflowing after a wildly impressive season by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud .
The Indianapolis Colts might be just as dangerous if QB Anthony Richardson can stay healthy, and the Tennessee Titans are never a pushover.
All things considered, this is shaping up to be the biggest year in Jaguars' history, but the pieces are in place for them to respond to that challenge.
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Despite being in a quarterback-loaded AFC and oddsmaker over-under projections of 8.5 wins, the Jaguars have the personnel to get on a Super Bowl run.
No more waiting. The time for them to go out and prove it is now.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 2024 is critical time for Jaguars' head coach-QB combo to validate worth
